King Rocker Now TV

Thanks for watching our documentary KING ROCKER last Saturday on Sky Arts, and spreading the word, and crowd-funding it, if you did.
Our labour of love really landed. I arrogantly think it knocks most rockumentaries into a cocked hat and will cheer you up no end in the awful times.

“I loved every minute” – Ben Dowell, The Times
★★★★ Financial Times
★★★★ Chortle
“One of the best music documentaries of all time” – The Quietus
All Press is collecting here.

Anyway, it appears you can now watch it, ad-free, on NOW TV if you have that;

NOW TV LINK – STREAMING UNTIL 8th MARCH 2021

2) PERISH THE THOUGHT LIVESTREAM

The Nightingales with support from Stewart Lee premieres Thursday 11th March + New ‘Ten Bob Each Way’ / ‘Use Your Loaf’ 7” out 15th May

Nostalgic for a time when people gathered in crowded rooms to listen to music and comedy?
You can relive those heady pre-pandemic nights with an 80-minute rare concert from Birmingham’s post-punk legends, The Nightingales at Hackney’s Moth Club in 2018. Directed by Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, King Rocker, Toast Of London), this special concert includes comedian Stewart Lee performing his 20 minute ‘80s club set.

This special live recording premieres on NoonChorus, as part of our ‘Baptism Of Fire’ series, on March 11th 2021 (8pm GMT / 12pm PT /3pm EST).

‘Ten Bob Each Way’ / ‘Use Your Loaf’ is a limited 7” single, featuring a brand-new Nightingales recording, their first since recording their ‘Four Against Fate’ album.
B-sided with Stewart Lee and Nick Pynn covering the band’s second single, ‘Use Your Loaf’, a track that was for a mooted Nightingales tribute album. ‘Ten Bob Each Way’ / ‘Use Your Loaf’ will be released 15^th May on Fire Records/King Rocker Records.

Fire Films and NoonChorus present:
The Nightingales with support from Stewart Lee
Thursday, March 11th, 2021
(8pm GMT / 12pm PT / 3pm EST)

To clarify – I do 20 mins stand-up at the start of the livestream. It is the 1989 Jesus At The Door routine fucked about with, and then the JAZZ FOLK SEX routine from the Content Provider tour that was cut from the finished film of that show. Michael Cumming filmed the bit in a very live fashion in a very live atmosphere at Hackney’s very live Moth Club. It is a nice bit of film, but if you are a comedy fan and you pay for that stay for The Nightingales 60 mins straight through no-breaks-between-the-songs steamroller of a set, and a lively reminder of what live entertainment and cool venues look like.

Check out new film trailer: https://youtu.be/eDQwajBSsA0
Ticket link: https://noonchorus.com/the-nightingales/
Pre-order 7”: https://fire-records.lnk.to/TenBobUseYourLoaf

3) LIVE DATES NEWS

You know as much as I do.
All my little club dates for Feb will be in the process of being pulled and re-scheduled.
The venues have your money, not me, and although I am sure loads of you could do with it, if you can let these clubs hang on to it for now it could mean the difference between them surviving and going under.
Support The Brixton Windmill. And all independent venues.
We all want a world of live art to go back to.
If major tour dates are moved all the same applies. Thank-you for your patience.

I am planning on re-writing the SNOWFLAKE half of SNOWFLAKE TORNADO to reflect our drastically altered world and will make as good a recording as possible of the abandoned original SNOWFLAKE available at some point.

4) MEDIA GARAGE SALE

My trusted sales partner Media Garage has compacted all my available stand-up dvds into one convenient on-line marketplace, with most available to d/load too.

Remember, if you buy here we will pay tax on these purchases, and help with British schools and hospitals, whereas many major physical media suppliers and streaming services have found ways to avoid declaring their profits, as have NETFLIX, the utter bastards.

AMERICANS – stop moaning about not being able to see me and visit MEDIA GARAGE!

MEDIA GARAGE | MORE INFO ON THE MERCH PAGE

5) Podcasts

To try and promote King Rocker I have been pimping myself about on every Podcast going, alone or with dir M Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast), saying the same things in the same room in the same clothes to all different people, all of whom were very kind.

I don’t know what a podcast is really but I think you go on the internet and click on something.
As my grandfather once said, in 1983, “Do you know, in America, there are shops that only sell Kentucky Fried Chicken?” I enjoyed being on the internet with all these people enormously, but will put some blue water between me and the next wedge.
David Baddiel told me it was good to be on the internet, though. These are available..

KERMODE ON FILM

Dir Michael Cumming and I discuss King Rocker with Britain’s top film guru and skiffle enthusiast, who has been very supportive of the no-budget project.

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LISTEN HERE

BACKLISTED

Andy Miller and John Michinson’s long running and much loved books podcast. I discuss the waspish poet and novelist Rosemary Tonks with them, Nicky Birch and Jennifer Hodgson.
This is a marvellous ongoing Podcast which is unashamedly civilised in an unenlightened era, and this episode is full of great writing, batshit radiophonic music and clever women.

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LISTEN HERE

OWEN JONES

North London echo chamber fun sure to irk people of all political persuasions with the forensically-minded folk devil for the far right and snowflake do-gooder Owen Jones, and me, talking about King Rocker and more general stuff. His current run of ‘casts has some great guests.

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Watch it here or
Listen Here

GINGERBEARDMARK

Informed Wolverhampton-based comedy and music enthusiast of uncommon warmth and knowledge talks to me about KING ROCKER and what the Gray Pays ‘n’ Bacon are like at the Great Western pub.

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Watch it here

ADAM BUXTON PODCAST

I asked Adam if I could go on this massively popular podcast and he said yes which was very kind of him. It was fun hearing his Mark E Smith story from the horse’s mouth and he asked me hard questions of the type I usually avoid.

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LISTEN HERE

A DRINK WITH THE IDLER

I answer questions from various utterly delightful members of the Idler’s thoughtful middle class readership from their wine and book filled homes.
They are the real stars here! You will emerge from watching this in love with at least one of them.

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Watch It Here

THE LAST LINE

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to comedian Stewart Lee about his new film King Rocker, a documentary about Robert Lloyd, lead singer of 70’s post-punk band The Nightingales.
During their conversation they discuss the new film, its central protagonist Robert Lloyd, stand up comedy, Stewart’s propensity to defend stand up comedians against the views of the general public and his reluctance to participate in podcast interviews.
There’s an interview with Michael Cumming on this podcast too, link below.

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Stewart | Michael Cumming

Frank Skinner

6th Feb episode of former Prefects frontman’s show

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Listen Here (From Approx 46mins)

ROCK’S BACK PAGES

with Barney Hoskins, NME scribe of legend.

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Listen here

LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL

LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL I talk to LCF’s Geoff Rowe (OBN) about my career.

Hear it in exchange for a £5 donation to the covid-fucked festival, available 3rd – 21st Feb.

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Available 3rd – 21st Feb

OUT TO LUNCH WITH JAY RAYNER

Sometime in March you will be able to hear me eat a really lovely Sri Lankan mutton curry from the Kolama restaurant, Soho, with bon viveur jazz pianist Jay Rayner. (I see how this works now!)

This is the most showbiz thing I have ever done, and I am glad it was with jazzy Jay Rayner.

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Not Out Yet. Coming Soon.

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD

with post-mod post-man, old school Labour face, and former near pop-soul star, Alan Johnson.

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Listen Here

THE C86 SHOW

KING ROCKER viewed through an astringent ‘80s rock filter, w me and dir Michael Cumming

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Listen Here

ROBIN INCE’S COSMIC SHAMBLES

This is a new series of docu-chats on different esoteric subjects.
You have to pay for them because they are finished pieces of work not just some fuckers talking or wandering about.
I have appeared on three of them – on Hawkwind, Penda’s Fen and John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy.

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Get Them Here

THE MRS BARBARA NICE AND FRIENDS PODCAST

I am winsomely x-examined by the Midland comedy legend and former Everready singer

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LISTEN HERE

ADRIAN GOLDBERG ON BRUM RADIO

Dir Michael Cumming and I discuss King Rocker with the Nightingales’ contemporary Adrian Goldberg.

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Listen Here

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6) COMIN’ OVER HERE 12”

An actual physical 12” EP of Asian Dub Foundation(feat. Stewart Lee)‘s Brexit day number 1 Comin’ Over Here will be out on March 26th and can be pre-ordered here…

Bandcamp | X Ray Production

Brilliantly, higher shipping costs on ADF’s Anti-Brexit anthem are due to…Brexit, but they will try and circumvent this.
The remixes are of other bits of the Paul Nuttalls routine and work great.
I can’t believe how well the ADF’s made this work. I was their mere tool.

7) Big Wow Badges

BIG WOW BADGES
Cool Scottish punk-pin badge makers Big Wow Badges are shutting down at the end of Feb, so this is your last chance to buy the fabulous badges they made, some related to my material over the last decade and a half, and any others of their amazing art and lit designs.
Thanks Big Wow Badges! You made an old man very happy. Good luck in whatever you do next.

https://bigwowbadges.com/collections/frontpage/products/not-on-twitter

8) MINIATURES 40th

I appear on a 40th anniversary celebration of Morgan Fisher’s various artists album Miniatures (ask your dad, kids), available soon.
https://www.barrylamb.com/miniatures-2020.html

9) SLAPSTICK FEST

This year’s Bristol Festival of Slapstick Comedy has gone on line and I will be doing an Ince-chaired event on 6th March at 8pm choosing my favourite moments of Slapstick comedy.
I am all about the slapstick, as you will know from when my trousers fell down at The Bristol Hall Of Slavers in 2016. £6.
https://slapstick2021.eventive.org/welcome

The ‘Stuart Lee’ referred to on the site is me, yes.

10) STEVE BERESFORD BOOK

I wrote the intro to Andy Hamilton’s hefty new study of the musician Steve Beresford, Pianos, Toys, Music & Noise.
Maybe ask your local library to stock it or your dad to buy it!
Here’s the info.
Steve is a major player in the second wave of British Free Improvisation, a lynchpin of the current scene, and a punk era collaborator with The Flying Lizards, Prince Far-I and The Slits.
He, I and Tania Chen toured Britain over the last decade performing John Cage’s Indeterminacy, and Steve appears playing toys and objects with me and Tania in King Rocker.
Comedy fans will know him as ‘man playing organ’ in a The Day Today sketch about executions, and as the director of music on Vic Reeves’ unnecessarily good album.

11) I Arrogantly Recommend

NEW FILMS

Ronnie’s, Ronnie Scott & His World Famous Jazz Club (Oliver Murray)
The Dig (Simon Stone) ★★★★★

NEW TV

Ghosts S2 (BBC, 2020)
Ghosts – Xmas Special 2020 (BBC, 2020)
The Mandalorian S2 (Disney, 2020) ★★★★★
Call My Agent S3 (France 2, 2018)★★★★★
Call My Agent S4 (France 2, 2021) ★★★★★
The Trump Show (BBC, 2020-1)★★★★★
Lupin S1 (Netflix, 2021)★★★★★

NEW RECORDS

Lady Leshurr – Quaranqueen
The Primevals – New Trip
Cult Figures – Deritend
Vapour Trails – Celestial Scuzz ★★★★★
Robert Pollard – Before Computers (demos)
Kevin March – Last Night

NEW OLD RECORDS

V/A – Rough Guide To Avant-Garde Japan
Guided by Voices – Live At Irving Plaza (1996)
Damo Suzuki & Echo Ensemble – Live @ Green Door (2013)
Heavenly – A Bout De Heavenly (1989-1996)
Martin Stone – Down But Not Out In Paris and London (1992-2013)
John Russell & Terry Day – Russell & Day (1979?)
Derek Bailey, Trevor Watts & Terry Day – At LTC (1972?)
Sonny Rollins – Rollins In Holland (1967) ★★★★★
Robert Pollard – I Sell The Circus (demos) (2015)
The Fall – St Helen’s Technical College (1981) ★★★★★

FOOD

Kolamba Sri Lankan restaurant, Soho, London

12) IN OUR COVID ERA LAMENTATIONS

Adam Schlesinger (Fountain of Wayne) (1967)
John Prine (outlaw country singer) (1946)
Henry Grimes (jazz bassist) (1935)
Dave Mountfield (Ornate Johnson) (1970)
Hal Wilner (arranger) (1957)
Tim Brooke-Taylor (Goodie) (1940)
Lee Konitz (jazz saxophonist) (1927)
Matthew Seligman (Soft Boy) (1955)
Millie Small (ska singer) (1946)
Florian Schneider (Kraftwerk robot) (1947)
Bill Rieflin (drummer for hire) (1960)
Hugh McKenna (Tear Gas pianist) (1949)
Steve Weber (Holy Modal Rounder) (1942)
Astrid Kirchherr (photographer) (1938)
Danny Ray Thompson (Sun Ra saxophonist) (1947)
Aubrey Burl (archaeologist) (1926)
Phil May (Pretty Thing) (1944)
The Clacton Fin Whale (circa 2000)
Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (artist) (1930)
Doll Tor stone circle (3300 BC)
Kay Carroll (The Fall) (1948)
Bob the Cat (73 bus) (2006)
Alex Taylor (Shop Assistant, in 2005, and no-one knew)
Simon H Fell (jazz bassist) (1959)
Carl Reiner (director) (1922)
Ennio Morricone (architect of sonic dreams) (1928)
Keith Tippett (jazz pianist) (1947)
Jimmy Cobb (jazz drummer) (1929)
Barbara Smoker (Humanist) (1923)
The Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
Tony Elliot (Time Out) (1942)
Judy Dyble (folk singer) (1949)
Peter Green (blues guitarist) (1946)
Emitt Rhodes (power pop auteur) (1950)
Annie Ross (jazz bohemian) (1930)
Joe Ruby (Scooby-Doo) (1933)
Craig Weatherhill (folklorist) (1950)
Don Weller (jazz saxophonist) (1940)
Simeon Coxe (Silver Apple) (1938)
Diana Rigg (Avenger) (1938)
Toots Hibbert (reggae got soul) (1942)
Dele Fadele (carry bag man) (1962)
George Jeffrie (man’s-laughter maker) (1964)
Dave Kusworth (Brum punk Stone) (1960)
Gary Peacock (jazz bassist) (1935)
Doorkins (Southwark Cathedral Cat) (2005?)
Spencer Davis (Brumbeat pioneer) (1939)
Bunny Lee (dubmaster) (1940)
The Cubbington Pear Tree (1770)
Fungie The Dingle Dolphin (1979)
Jill Paton Walsh (humanist novelist) (1937)
Val Warner (poet) (1946)
Guy N Smith (Lord of The Crabs) (1939)
Richard Corben (decadent cartoonist) (1940)
David Johnson (Duke of Soho) (1960)
Leslie West (Mountain man) (1945)
– 2021 –
Katharine Whitehorn (bedsitter cook) (1928)
Celia Drummond Ford (voice of Trees) (1950)
John Russell (guitar guru) (1954)
Marcel Uderzo (Asterisk artist) (1933)
Tom Stevens (Long Ryder and Magus) (1956)
Dougie Anderson (Coda’s Edinburgh record dealer) (1952)
Captain Tom (Covid Walkman) (1920)